


Blueberries

by lovefool



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, In Whole Foods, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:44:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22975645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovefool/pseuds/lovefool
Summary: As you’re about to put a box into your cart, a low, commanding voice breaks you out of your trance. “Excuse me,” is all it says, and you feel a large hand pressing against the small of your back. The touch is familiar, as is the voice. When you turn, you find yourself face to face with the very last person you want to see right now.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	Blueberries

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this [tweet](https://twitter.com/FlGHTCLUBZ/status/1222669440594194434).

Grocery shopping.

It’s a simple enough task. Every week your roommates rotated grocery shopping duty, bound by the written agreement you all signed at the beginning of your lease. Aurora wrote the document up herself and enforced that everyone (namely Jackie) followed the detailed agreements. After many eye rolls (from Jackie) and an extremely passive aggressive conversation (between Jackie and Aurora), it was set that Sienna would do the first week, then Elijah, Aurora, Jackie, and then you.

The fifth week of the month means it’s your turn to shop for groceries. After grabbing a shopping cart, you enter the bustling store and read the crumpled shopping list Elijah handed you before you left the apartment today.

**ROOMIE GROCERY LIST!**

  * _Blueberries_
  * _Pancake Mix_
  * _Oat Milk **(PLEASE do not buy real milk again. Don’t punish me for being lactose intolerant. - Elijah)**_
  * _Yerba Mate **(Revel Berry ONLY)**_
  * _Eggs_



Short list this time. Besides the usual orders of Sienna’s pancake mix, Elijah’s oat milk, and Jackie’s yerba mate supply, nothing seems too different from what you usually need to buy. You head towards fresh produce, aiming to get the blueberries first.

Sitting in its blue glory under a mist of water, the blueberries look so particularly delicious today that you go in a bit of a trance as you grab a box and survey it. The supple roundness of the berry, the deep blue color, the subtle gleam of the mist - you’re tempted to just grab one and plop it into your mouth. You look through each box to find one that’s good enough to live up to Aurora’s food freshness standards.

As you’re about to put a box into your cart, a low, commanding voice breaks you out of your trance. “Excuse me,” is all it says, and you feel a large hand pressing against the small of your back. The touch is familiar, as is the voice. When you turn, you find yourself face to face with the very last person you want to see right now.

“Oh, Rookie.” Dr. Ramsey’s eyes soften when he realizes it’s you, his gaze so penetrating that you feel yourself getting nervous. “I didn’t recognize you.”

Who the hell is manifesting him all the time? You seem to run into this bastard all the goddamn time, in and out of the hospital. The universe seemingly has a great sense of humor because, of course, who else would you run into at Whole Foods, the very same day you decide that wearing sweats is the vibe for the day? 

“Why Dr. Ramsey, it seems that we meet again.” You grin as you pull back your hood and let your hair down, hoping that the small change will make you look more like an off duty doctor than a couch troll. “I’m starting to think that you’re obsessed with me.”

He rolls his eyes, but he’s clearly trying to bite back a smile. “You think very highly of yourself to assume that.”

“That I do,” you answer. “No one else will if I don’t do it first.”

Ramsey holds your gaze a little too long for comfort, his bitten back smile now turned into a full on grin. Even with all the private moments you two have shared, it’s still weird to talk with him like this, as if you’re nothing more than colleagues. The hand he held against your back, the feeling of his warmth, burns in your memory for later recollection. After all, it’s the only semblance you’ve had of his touch in months, the only reminder of what once was, and that’s just so _shitty_. You wish things didn’t have to be this way, that you could be with him, like you both wanted. But reality is often disappointing, and you’re starting to see why he sees the world through such a cruel lens. 

When you realize that his smile is gone, replaced with the stoic expression you’ve gotten to know too well, you turn away, looking back at the blueberries.

“Do these look good to you?” You hand a box to him, the same one you’ve already surveyed and approved. He takes it in his hands, gives it a quick once over, and nods.

“They look fine to me.”

“Good,” you answer back, heart pulling at the sudden coldness of the conversation. Looking back into his eyes, you force a smile and say, “Well, I should leave you to it. You seem...” You point to his empty basket. “Preoccupied. I’ll see you at work.”

You take a few steps forward, pushing your cart with significant effort. It’s a bad sign that every conversation with him feels like emotional labor. You’re not sure how much more you can take, how many conversations you can end with you being nearly in tears at how everything’s gone wrong. As you wipe the tears gathering in your eyes, you push forward in an effort to find the dairy section.

“Rookie. Wait.”

You pause and turn to face him. Ramsey stands at the same spot you left him, holding another box of blueberries. He walks over to you, effortless and quick, and places the box in your hands.

“These look much better.”

They do look much better than the box in your cart, but you’re not sure why he’s made a point to tell you this. After exchanging the boxes, he points at the shopping list you’re gripping in your left hand. “May I?”

Confused, you nod and give him the list. He reads over it quickly. 

“This Whole Foods is fairly new. Do you need help looking for these things?”

A breath catches in your throat. Now, you understand what he’s doing. For someone who always murmurs the same excuse about boundaries, he always seems to cross them, with regret looming over him soon afterwards. But at this point, you couldn’t give a damn about his conscience, especially if it meant being with him, even for just a moment.

“Yes,” you lie. He knows it’s a lie too, but his eyes light up anyway, a smile gracing his face once again.

“Dairy aisle is this way,” he says, guiding you towards an aisle you’ve been to many times before. His hand finds the small of your back again, his warmth returning and burning into your memory once more.

It’ll all work out for the two of you. Eventually. But, for now, you’ll take all the touches you can get, even if they are fleeting.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [tumblr](https://brycelahelas.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
